Bringing your parents to Australia

Though Australia may feel like home to you, it is entirely possible that one key thing is missing: your parents. Thankfully, there are options for bringing your parents to Australia if you are an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. One of the requirements for most visas is the Balance of Family test; at least half of the parent’s children must be either permanent residents or citizens of Australia.

While there are a number of options in terms of types of visas, they can be costly, slow to be processed and subject to capping. For example, in the 2017 – 2018 migrations schemes, 1500 places have been allocated to non-contributory Parent visas (subclass 103 & 804) and 7175 places have been allocated to Contributory Parent visas (subclasses 173 &143 and subclasses 884 & 864). It is critical to know which scheme to apply under in order to maximize chances of a smooth application process.

Although legislation has not yet brought it into effect, in May 2017 a new temporary sponsored visa for parents was announced that would allow parents to stay in Australia for up to five years at a time. This visa does not require the Balance of Family test, and is intended to address long-standing concerns about wait times and the importance of reunification with parents, including assistance with minding grandchildren.